Outcome of hepatic resection for metastatic gastric cancer

The role of hepatic resection for metastatic gastric cancer is less well defined due to the tendency of gastric cancer to widely metastasize. The purpose of this study is to examine the beneficial effect of hepatic resection in patients with metastatic gastric cancer. The clinicopathologic features and long-term results of 11 patients who underwent hepatic resection for metastatic gastric cancer from January 1988 to December 1996 at Seoul National University Hospital were analyzed retrospectively. All resected hepatic metastases were solitary lesions. Among eight patients with synchronous hepatic metastases, one patient with early gastric cancer and lymph node metastases (T1N2M1) remained alive for 8 years 6 months after hepatic resection without recurrence. Among three patients with metachronous hepatic metastases, two patients with advanced gastric cancer and lymph node metastases (T3N2MO, T2N1MO at the initial operation, respectively) survived 8 years 6 months and 3 years after hepatic resection, respectively. Median survival times of synchronous and metachronous hepatic metastases were 13.0 and 74.3 months, respectively. In solitary hepatic metastatic lesions from gastric cancer, surgical resection should be considered as one of the treatment options.